A thought crossed her mind, and it frightened her: Did he know on some level that she had never loved him and that was why he mistreated her so cruelly? Was this all her fault? She shook her head and banished the idea. She had done nothing to be hurled into a hearth or beaten about the face or have her hand speared by a silver fork. Still, the reality gave her pause. The truth that she did not love the man did not justify his cruelty, but it could possibly explain it.
